This HPG [Humanitarian Policy Group] Policy Brief explores how measures introduced to combat terrorism have had a significant impact on humanitarian organisations, eroding their ability to protect civilians and provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. The authors consider how counter-terrorism provisions can criminalise humanitarian action and undermine humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality.

Key findings include:

◦Humanitarian funding from donor governments is increasingly being made conditional on assurances that it is not benefiting listed individuals or organisations.

◦Counter-terrorism laws and other measures have increased operating costs and administrative functions and slowed down operational response.

◦Greater transparency is required between NGOs, UN agencies, humanitarian donors and governments in order to ensure that counter-terrorism objectives do not undermine humanitarian commitments.

Having begun his career in academic libraries, Adrian Janes has subsequently worked extensively in public libraries, chiefly in enquiry work as an Information Services librarian. In this role he has had particular responsibility for information from both the UK Government and the European Union. He wrote a detailed report on sources for the latter which was published by FreePint in 2007, and has contributed articles to FreePint and ResourceShelf. He is involved in training in information literacy and the use of online reference resources.

A Contributing Editor to DocuTicker, he also write reviews for Pennyblackmusic.

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